


where innocence is burned in flames

by transvav



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Hurt Gavin, M/M, kingdoms AU, lots of pining, minecraft au, oooh magic, ryan's a lovesick babY
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-20
Updated: 2015-10-20
Packaged: 2018-04-27 08:41:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5041597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/transvav/pseuds/transvav
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Ramsey kingdom is peaceful enough- their king is kind, the people are happy, and the prince is loved by everyone. His disappearances into the forest are worrisome, but the king is sure of his son- and Ryan knows that if anything were to happen, he'd be quick to follow and protect Gavin to the end of the earth. Such is life, and such is having an unrequited love.<br/>Until something does happen.<br/>And now Ryan only has a week to save Gavin's life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	where innocence is burned in flames

It started, as most magical things did, with a figure in the mist, beckoning for him.  
And Ryan, as most magical people do, followed.  
He could barely make out trees as they continued- the rolling white was so thick it was hard enough to see the person he was following, much less his surroundings. He was only sure it was trees because it smelled of pine and he could hear the creaking of oak. Various types, then. Like the forest he was so accustomed to.   
_We must be near the castle,_ he thought, and no sooner had the words formed in his mind when the fog cleared and he was standing in front of the castle.  
Well, sort of. Because it certainly was a castle, but it wasn’t the one he remembered.  
The figure was disappearing inside the doors and Ryan dashed ahead to catch up.  
Inside the castle was decrepit and cold, a sense of dread with every step. The torn banners on the wall had once been a brilliant green, the windows once made of the brightest colored glass, the bricks beneath him once sturdy and polished. And now, whatever this castle had been, whatever this kingdom had been, was nothing but dusty and forgotten, abandoned by the rulers and subjects alike.   
The throne room was no better than the rest, but the figure was there in front of the king’s chair, fingertips on an old crown. Their words echoed through the empty room- as they reached Ryan, his blood ran cold. It wasn’t a spell he recognized, but it was a spell nonetheless, and absolutely not a good one.  
“Hey!” he shouted, hoping to break them from their reverie, and sprinted forwards, his hand going to the bag on his belt. “Stop!”  
A hand shot out and grabbed the front of his shirt, but the figure continued for a few seconds before the final word left their lips with a hiss and a wisp of red smoke. The smoke curled around the crown like a snake, making it look like the gold was bleeding wherever the magic touched. Ryan watched in a fearful awe- the crown dropped, the emerald on it having been coated in magic to flash like a ruby, and it rolled away.  
“What did you do?” Ryan whispered. The figure didn’t speak for a few seconds before they finally turned, and Ryan inhaled sharply as he faced himself.  
“ _One week,_ ” the other whispered.  
“Wh-what?”  
 _“One week. And then no more_.”  
“No more what? What- what is this- who are you-”  
The crown hummed with energy at his feet- he glanced down and then back up. His other self was gone, the throne before him crumbling into dust. The windows shattered, the floor cracked-  
“ _Ryan!_ ” he heard, familiar and painstaking-  
“Gavin, no!” he called in response, and turned to find the younger man sprinting down the hallway up to him.  
“Ryan!” Gavin yelled again. “Ryan, wake _up_!”  
  
He did wake up, to Gavin’s cheery face hovering above him.  
With a shout, his arms flailed upwards- but his legs tangled in the sheets and he fell disgracefully onto the floor in a heap of blankets with peals of squeaking laughter reigning above him. He groaned, his face thunking onto the carpet beneath him before pushing himself up on one elbow to watch the prince.  
Gavin was lost in his giggling, so much so that he fell to his side on the bed, rolling in his laughter- Ryan, for his part, gathered up his sheets and threw them onto the young man, who made a noise of protest after his laughter subsided. “It wasn’t that funny,” the mage remarked, and Gavin sat up amongst the bedspread, his hair a mess and his grin wider than ever.  
“It’s pretty funny to me considering that nearly _never_ happens to you.”  
“Happens to you a lot though. Aren’t you supposed to be dignified and graceful?”  
“What, like _Geoff_?”  
“Fair point.”  
The two of them shared a smile, and Ryan caught himself looking at Gavin’s eyes for the first time that day, but certainly not for the first time ever. There was that brightness in them that was so invigorating that Ryan couldn’t help but sigh happily. This was a problem, wasn’t it, how much he loved the prince.  
But he’d been dealing with it for years now, so he had also learned how to keep it (mostly) to himself.  
“Speaking of Geoff,” Gavin continued, slipping down from the bed and running fingers through his hair as a makeshift brush. “He’s the reason I’m here.”  
“And here I thought it was just because you liked me.”  
“That too,” was the quick reply. “But Geoff needs you for some political thing. I think he needs to reach Burnie for something?”  
Ryan froze before hastening- a call to Burnie was rare, and usually the two kings would exchange letters back and forth. In times of urgency, though, Geoff would call upon Ryan for his mage abilities and the two would be able to discuss matters as if they were in the same room. It had only been a few days since the last call, so. Urgency indeed.  
“You don’t know what’s happening?” he asked Gavin after he emerged from his room- the younger had waited in the hall while Ryan had dressed himself.   
“No,” Gavin shrugged. The two set down the hallway, and briefly Ryan remembered the dream he’d just woken from, how the castle from then compared to the castle he walked in now. He shook it off as Gavin continued. “But Geoff doesn’t really tell me much about anything lately. Which is _fine_ with me.”  
“It shouldn’t be,” Ryan hummed. “You’re going to be king eventually, Gavin, sooner or later you’re going to have to face facts and learn how to deal with situations like this.”  
“Yeah, but what is ‘this?’” Gavin asked, and Ryan’s face scrunched momentarily.  
“...you get the point,” he finally told him, and the prince lost himself again in little giggles as they rounded the corner towards the throne room. There was hesitation in his stride, however, as Ryan went towards the doors. Gavin paused near the doors that led to the gardens, and Ryan looked back at him, confused. Gavin cast a quick glance towards the opposite direction, and Ryan sighed. “The forest again?”  
“You know me,” Gavin laughed, but there was something sad in it. Ryan only nodded.   
“Geoff will understand. Go on, get.”  
Gavin was off in a flash, his crown left on the bust near the door, and the mage huffed in disapproval as he took it and placed it carefully in his bag. Gavin spent most of his time in the forest lately, ever since he’d gone on a hunting party with a few guards and gotten separated from them. He’d returned somewhat solemn and reserved, thoughtful in a way that was rare to see due to his usual carefree and cheerful demeanor. Otherwise, however, he had returned unharmed. His personality had returned the next day, too, so no one was too worried about him. But after that, he’d begun slipping out of the castle unattended weekly. The first time it happened, Geoff had been worried. The second time, angry. Eventually, though, when Gavin was persistent in his disappearances and it was clear that he was coming back unharmed, Geoff relented. The people in the castle were aware, and reprimanded the king on his choice, but Geoff replied with a smile and a shrug each time. “He’s a big kid,” he would say. “He’ll take care of himself.”  
 _And if he doesn’t_ , Ryan thought to himself as he opened the door to the throne room, _I’ll do it for him_.   
Geoff was with Jack, his second hand and closest friend. The two of them were talking low, Jack looking mildly concerned and the king was deep in thought as he spoke. Ryan waited a moment before politely clearing his throat, bowing his head when they both turned to look at him.   
“Ryan!” Geoff exclaimed, tired and pleased at the same time. “Thank you for coming so quickly.”  
“Of course. Gavin told me you needed me, so.”  
“Yes, I do. Speaking of Gavin, where has he-”  
Ryan raised an eyebrow and cleared his throat again, sheepishly pulling the crown from his satchel. Jack shook his head sadly, interjecting into the conversation. “I can’t believe he’s run off again, Geoff, you really _should_ do something about this. He’s going to get hurt eventually.”  
“Jack, it’s fine, if he wants to explore, let him. Gets him practice with the bow anyways, kid won’t use it for any other situation. But- ah, could you leave Ryan and I alone? I’ll have him grab you when we’re done.”  
“Yeah,” Jack sighed, going for the door. “Still don’t think it’s safe.”  
“Eh, he has to learn somehow,” Geoff rolled his eyes and gestured for Ryan to come closer. “Go ahead and just sit on Jack’s stool. It’s going to be a long conversation.”  
“Burnie, right?”  
“If you’d please.”  
Ryan pulled the dust from his pouch and began drawing on the carpet in front of the throne- it’d be a hassle to clean up later, but he honestly didn’t mind anymore. After the sigil was done, he pulled his staff off his back and stood, tapping the ground lightly with the orb. The circle glowed and Ryan sat down to concentrate, focusing himself and his energy completely on the magic, his mind reaching out to Burnie’s mage.   
He heard Geoff’s greeting- “Burns.”- and knew he’d connected the two, smiling quietly. It was always as hard as the first time he’d done it.  
“Ramsey.”   
There was a tense pause before laughter echoed in the hall, and Burnie continued. “God, I’m not used to seeing you in green, you look weird.”  
“I’m _always_ in green.”  
“No, I mean via magic. Usually you’re red, because, y’know. Redstone. But someone in the kingdom figured out emerald magic and how it’s a more ‘precious’ and ‘strong’ magic or what the fuck ever. And because I’m king I said I wanted to use it. I regret that, it fucked up the color scheme I’m used to.”  
“Hilarious dude. Emerald magic, though, really? Sounds neat.”  
“It’s pretty cool, yeah. The resource is rare, but...”  
Ryan let the conversation drone out of his attention, instead keep his eyes closed, his energy on the steady stream of magic keeping him connected to the other mage. But his thoughts were on the prince, and only him. He wondered if maybe Jack was right, as Jack often was. Gavin was still young, despite being of age for the crown, and the forest was a dangerous place. There were mobs of every kind out there, brought to life by dark magic, and although time and time again the prince had come back unharmed, Jack had planted a seed of doubt in Ryan’s mind. What if he didn’t come back, what if he wasn’t actually safe, what if this was the _one time_ he was in real danger? What if, what if, what _if_ -  
He heard Geoff say his goodbyes to Burnie and he opened his eyes. The light from the windows had moved across the floor enough that Ryan was well aware they’d been talking quite a while, and as Geoff moved into his line of sight, he blinked slowly, letting the magic fade.  
“Sorry that took so long,” Geoff was saying, and gave him a hand to help him up. “I had a lot to think about, and Burnie had a lot to say.”  
“It’s. It’s fine,” Ryan managed, shaking his head to clear it of the lingering trace of the feeling of distance. “Tiring, but understandable.”  
He was given a questioning look from Geoff. “Did you... hear any of it?”  
“...no?” Now it was Ryan’s turn to give the king a questioning glance. Geoff was well aware that Ryan couldn’t concentrate well if he heard the conversation going on, and Ryan also respected the sanctity of the king’s private calls. They were often private for a reason, even if Ryan was one of the highest of the court. “Was I supposed to have?”  
Geoff sighed, and Ryan stood a little straighter- he had a sad look in his eyes, but he waved him off. “Nevermind. Grab Jack for me on your way out, please.”  
“Yeah,” Ryan mumbled. “Yeah, I’ll, uh... Yeah.”  
He bowed his head on the way out, motioning for Jack to go on and step back inside- the bearded man did, but not before casting a concerned gaze towards the mage as he rushed towards the gardens. Ryan continued on through the hedges once he made it outside, brushing past various flowers in order to make his way towards the edge of the forests, but he stopped in the middle and let himself think.  
Gavin wasn’t his. Gavin was the prince, yes, and he could always make the argument that everything he did was to protect him for the future of the kingdom. But this was unnecessary, and a little overbearing. Gavin could protect himself in the damned forest, Gavin could fight for himself, Gavin could do all the things that Ryan had been doing and he could do for _himself_. And Ryan’s stupid crush on him wasn’t going to change a thing.  
So instead he sat down on a bench near the rosebushes where he knew the King’s personal guard would be soon. He really needed someone to talk to. And he trusted Geoff plenty, but he really wasn’t the person to talk about this with. And, Ryan realized with a jolt, the dream. The crush he could get over, maybe, but that dream was so damned real that he wasn’t sure it was just that. A _vision_ , more like it. A warning?  
“Hey, Rye.”  
“Ray,” he breathed, after calming himself down- not that he’d admit it, but he’d jumped in the slightest. The assassin only grinned in response, sliding down next to him and starting to pick at the rosebush.  
“What’s up, man? You don’t usually look so damned out of it.”  
“I just.” A glance to the forest.  
“ _Wow_ ,” Ray laughed, taking off one of his gloves and pulling a knife out to cut at the thorns. “You’re so fucked, dude.”  
“I know, I know. I’m worried.”  
“Everyone except Geoff is.”  
“I’m seriously worried, Ray, I was out here to go after him. Today’s just different, I guess. Feels different. There’s an ominous thought in my head that someday he’s not going to come back. And it’s not like this is a _new_ feeling- it’s always been there, I guess, but today it’s so much stronger than usual. I’m fucking scared for him. And I had this dream last night- it wasn’t a normal one. It was like a warning. There was this castle, and this... curse, I guess, this dark magic. And Gavin...”  
He trailed off and rubbed at his forehead while Ray sympathetically rubbed his shoulder. “Dude,” the younger finally said. “You need to calm down. Gavin’s a big kid now, everything’s gonna be fine.”  
“People keep saying that.”  
“And they keep meaning it. I get it, okay, you love him. And it isn’t the kind of love that Geoff or Jack has for him, either. But Gavin...”  
“I know,” Ryan said after Ray trailed off, laughing to himself. “I know. I can’t shake the feeling that it’s going to go wrong though. It’s weird but-”  
“Ryan,” came Ray’s hushed hiss. “Ryan you need to _shut up_ and _look_.”  
There was an urgency that made the mage shut his mouth instantly, following Ray’s eyes towards the forest’s edge. A few creepers were hissing just beyond the first row of trees, flashing brightly in their usual warning at something neither man could see. But after a few moments the flashing stopped, and Ryan heard the clicks as the call of the mob recognizing one of their own. Ray was moving to get up, his dagger already aimed towards the ones closest to them, but Ryan put his arm up and got in his way. “Hold on,” he whispered. “Something’s up.”  
He began to slowly step towards them, careful not to alert them to his cautious approach, hoping maybe to get a glance at what had made them change their mind. He had no such luck- the crack of a stick beneath his foot made him wince and made the creepers turn their heads. In an instant, they were flashing again, hissing and backing up quickly before two explosions went off and he threw an arm up to protect his eyes from the flare.   
Once he was certain there was a calm, he lowered his arms and strode forward, more determined now and unfearing of the danger, despite Ray’s protests behind him, past the trees into the small, recently made crater, hoping to find the source of the distress. A low groan was heard-  
And _chills_ ran through his body as he turned, dropping to the ground next to the figure and reached out tentatively, carefully. “Oh, god,” he murmured. “Oh, god, oh, god- _Ray_!”  
It was with wild desperation and fear that Ryan picked up the fallen person, turning to the assassin, who’s eyes widened. “Ray, get Caleb and the King, prepare a bed and healing potions.”  
Ray sprinted away towards the castle while Ryan made his way back more carefully. “Please be okay,” he said. “Please, please.”  
Careful as not to jostle him in his arms, Ryan continued through the path, the injured Gavin cradled closely to his chest. He was mumbling and squirming, sweat pouring from his head and his face twisted in pain. “Hurts,” the prince whispered. “Hurts to breathe.”  
And there was a sinking suspicion in Ryan’s mind that it wasn’t the explosions that had caused it.

 

**Author's Note:**

> sorry it's so short hue  
> the next chapters will be longer i promise!  
> hit me up at pinkieplier.tumblr.com (also yes i am writing a sequel to the mad king/vav fic whoopsies)


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